Sue

Sue is the founder of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog, established in 2005.. She has an MSW from the University in Pittsburgh and a BA in Political Science from Marymount University. Her undergraduate claim to fame is a six month stint as an intern with then Congressman Rick Santorum in 1991. Born and raised in West Mifflin, Sue attended college in Washington DC, then graduate school in Louisiana and ended up in Kentucky doing social service ministry. She returned to Pittsburgh in 1997. She now lives on Pittsburgh’s Northside with her wife, Laura. She was among the first out LGBTQ people named to Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40 in 2004 and is a graduate of Leadership Development Initiative Class VII. After being fully and permanently disabled in 2010, Sue has continued to serve the community. She founded the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project to address hunger and environmental issues. In 2015, she launched the #AMPLIFY LGBTQ archive in conjunction with a two-year artist in residence stint with Most Wanted Fine Art. Sue and her wife have fostered over 25 kittens through Pittsburgh CAT and Homeless Cat Management Team, and now manage multiple community cat colonies in their neighborhood. In 2020, Sue cofounded the Pittsburgh MasQUe ProjecT to support the queer and trans community during the pandemic, distributing tens of thousands of face masks and other supplies throughout the region. In 2021, Sue created the #PghCatFolx projects to support neighbors working with community cats. Under that heading came the Dr. John P. Ruffing DVM Pet Food Projects, memorializing one of her very best friends who died in 2007. In 2021, Sue worked with community leaders to develop and establish a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) where she currently serves as Board President. PLC absorbed the #PghCatFolx projects. Also in 2021, Sue was the first person in history appointed to the City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and was unanimously elected as one of three inaugural co-chairs. Her blogging has garnered numerous awards Favorite GLBT Media Publication - 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Favorite GLBT Social Media - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Best Local Blogger - 2016, 2019 (Pittsburgh City Paper Reader’s Poll) LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Blogger - 2020 (SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh) Outstanding Blog - 2019, 2022 (GLAAD Media Awards) Sue has also personally been honored Person of the Year - The Advocate Magazine, 2022 15 Lesbian Icons - LGBTQ Nation, 2023 LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Lesbian Activist - SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh 2022 Sue believes in identifying and filling gaps in supports & services rather than recreating the wheel. She uses both her undergraduate and graduate degrees on a regular basis as a blogger and activist and regularly circulates her 1991 internship photo just to shake things up on her social media feeds. Her own experiences with cPTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other health challenges have fueled her health blogging and activism. She also writes extensively about her family history, drawing on her amateur genealogy hobby. The blog regularly reviews arts and cultural events as well as exploring restaurants, soap opera storylines, and hyper-local news. Sue and her wife Laura have been together since 2003. They were married on a very cold February 2, 2021 in their backyard at a very small ceremony co-officiated by their pagan priestess friend, Anne, and then-Mayor Bill Peduto. They have six niblings, four in Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia.

Posts by Sue:

FamilyFeminism

Why I Don’t Regret Giving Away My Barbie Dolls

August 17, 2023 by
Barbie Dreamhouse

After seeing the most excellent Barbie movie this weekend with my wife, I’ve been thinking about my childhood relationship with the titular character. As people are in a frenzy to buy Barbie everything and debate the ‘vintage’ factor of their own childhood memories, I have one that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world […]

#PghCatFolx

Update from #FortFaulsey Cat Colony on Pittsburgh’s Northside

August 6, 2023 by

Fort Faulsey is a community cat colony on Pittsburgh’s Northside. It has two “branches” with feeding stations, shelters, outdoor cat beds, and more. They are about 300 feet apart. I refer to the OG location as Fort Faulsey and to our backyard as the ‘branch campus.’ For decades, these cats and urban wildlife were drawn […]

ActivismIn MemoriamThe Arts

How I Will Remember Sinéad O’Connor

July 30, 2023 by

When I was 21 years old on October 3, 1992, Sinéad O’Connor was the brave hero I needed. I remember being at a retreat for campus ministry that weekend, watching the show stretched across longish sofas with pizza and pop and the righteous purity of our little Catholic college bubble. I remember the shock in […]

#ProtectTransKids

Have You Requested a #ProtectTransKids Yard Sign?

July 25, 2023 by
Protect Trans Kids

Have you requested your #ProtectTransKids yard sign or stickers yet?  With your support, we’ve produced 2000+ signs and 10,000+ stickers to ensure our trans neighbors know that we will stand with them. Back to school will be here before you know it and we’d love to see more signs along school bus routes to amplify this important […]

In MemoriamTransYouth

Pregnant Trans Man, Camdyn Rider, Killed By Fiancé In Florida

July 24, 2023 by

Camdyn Rider, a 21-year-old transgender man was eight months pregnant when his partner fatally shot him outside their central Florida home on Friday, July 21, 2023. They lived in the Inwood area of Winter Haven, Florida. Riley John Groover, 26, of Winter Haven, Florida, allegedly shot and killed himself after shooting his pregnant fiancé “multiple” times in […]

Health

More On Disability Pride from The 19th

July 21, 2023 by

Previous post in this series Finding Pride in My Disability I spoke with my therapist about this concept, something she had never heard of and she suggested that it might stem from the positivity movement, similar to body positivity. She suggested that a body neutrality approach might be more comfortable. I appreciate that she reiterated […]

Family

20 Years as a Lesbian Couple

July 19, 2023 by

Yesterday, we celebrated our 20th anniversary. Like many couples our age, we celebrate the day of our ‘coupling’ and the date of our wedding. In wedding years, we are on year two. Our day was low-key. I picked up groceries, Laura cooked dinner. I didn’t feel well so we kept it simple and I laid […]

Review

Review: Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny

July 17, 2023 by

SPOILERS We opted for an intergenerational approach to this film dynasty stretching back to 1981 when Laura was graduating high school through this year when Josiah is in his final year of high school. Five movies later, the legacy comes to an end with The Dial of Destiny. And our intrepid review team of Elijah […]

ReviewYouth

Review: ‘Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?’ Is the Movie I Needed 40 Years Ago

July 15, 2023 by

Spoilers. I’ve been pretty excited to see this movie. The book was a staple in my precious library along with the entire Judy Blume collection. So we recently took advantage of a quiet night to rent the movie. I was not disappointed. The movie begins with a confident Margaret circa 1970 enjoying her time at […]

In MemoriamTrans

28-Year Old Civilian Trans Woman Cam Chamberlain Died at Texas Military Base in May, but the Army Won’t Say How

July 15, 2023 by

A civilian white trans woman’s death at Fort Cavazos in Central Texas, just a day before her missing husband was discovered, remains a suspicious situation. Cam Chamberlain, 28, reported that her 23-year-old husband, Craig Chamberlain, was missing on May 15; Army officials responded with the announcement that he was ‘willfully missing.’ Cam posted several distraught […]